Stalin warns Tamil Nadu could lose 8 MPs in delimitation
What's the story
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has convened an all-party meeting on March 5 to deliberate on the possible repercussions of the impending delimitation exercise. He feared that Tamil Nadu could lose eight Lok Sabha seats owing to its effective population control measures. "If delimitation is implemented based on population census, Tamil Nadu will lose eight MPs," he said.
Representation concerns
Delimitation could 'suppress' Tamil Nadu's voice in Parliament: Stalin
Stalin has invited 40 political parties registered with the Election Commission to the meeting. He stressed that if delimitation is done on the basis of population census data, Tamil Nadu's parliamentary seats could be reduced from 39 to 31. This reduction, he cautioned, would "suppress" Tamil Nadu's voice in Parliament and termed it a "sword dangling over Tamil Nadu."
Federalist principles
Stalin criticizes Centre, calls for political unity
The CM also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of "stifling" Tamil Nadu's voice and called for political unity across party lines, urging leaders to "jointly speak on the issue." He advocated for a fair and transparent delimitation process that upholds federalist principles. "To protect the future of our motherland, Tamil Nadu, let us unite as one, transcending party differences!" he urged.
Language policy
Delimitation debate reignited by Women's Reservation Bill
The delimitation debate was revived after the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in September 2023. Southern states are apprehensive that any redrawing of constituency boundaries will benefit more populous northern states and diminish their representation in Parliament. The all-party meeting will also discuss other matters, such as the three-language policy and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).